Christmas Afternoon Tea at Home

Host a Christmas Afternoon Tea at Home this holiday season. Enjoy all the flavours and fun of this special time of year with my easy and delicious Christmas Afternoon Tea menu.

A festive feast of homemade treats for friends and family

Sometimes the holiday season pulls us in many different directions — family gatherings, travel plans, work parties, and all the little commitments that fill the calendar. It’s not always possible to see every friend we care about during Christmas itself, but that doesn’t make those relationships any less special.

Sharing an Afternoon Tea together, whether before or after the festive rush, is a lovely way to slow down, reconnect, and show the people we cherish that they’re still firmly in our hearts, even if our schedules don’t always align. It’s the quality of the time we spend, not the date on the calendar, that truly matters.

Everything you need for memorable Christmas Afternoon Tea

With this is mind I’m so excited to share my Christmas Afternoon Tea Menu, now available as a full collection of recipes on Flower & Sugar. Whether you’re hosting a festive gathering, planning a Christmas Eve treat, or simply want to spend a December afternoon baking with a cup of tea, this menu is designed to delight.

Filled with sneaky do-ahead tricks and tips plus a store-bought extra to make life easier, you can make some or all of the menu or ask your friends to make a recipe each then pull it all together on the day.

Below is a peek at every recipe — savoury and sweet — that makes my Christmas Afternoon Tea at Home so special.

Scroll down for my advice on what to make when so you can ensure a delicious, stress-free event that’s memorable for all the right reasons.

Christmas Afternoon Tea at Home Menu

Bringing It All Together

This Christmas Afternoon Tea menu is designed to feel generous but manageable, festive without being fussy. You can mix homemade treats with high-quality store-bought elements (like macarons) and prep many of the recipes ahead of time.

Whether you serve it as a full afternoon tea or choose just a few favourites, every recipe brings a little sparkle to the season.

Step-by-step: How to prepare my Christmas Afternoon Tea menu

At first glance this may seem like a LOT of work and LOT of steps, but it is actually very do-able if you get ahead with your prep and make an element or two every few days in the lead up to your event. You can also swap some of the items with store-bought versions too.

Swap to save time

• Buy raisin scones but make the rum butter.
• Buy good quality cocktail sauce instead of making your own.
• Buy the lemon tartlets but make the meringues (customise the size) or just buy the meringues too and leave off the pistachios.
• Substitute the prawn sandwiches for chicken instead (you can make these the day before to cut down on time).
• Buy some mini quiche instead.
• Leave off the Little Star Cookie fron the Little Strawberry Jelly Cups but keep the fresh strawberry garnish.
• Replace the Little Christmas Pudding Truffles with store-bought rum balls. Drizzle with melted white chocolate then add holly sprinkles.

Prepare these items up to 1 month ahead

TIP: You will need some large and medium airtight containers that you can stack one of top of each other in the fridge to maximise space. I use the cupcake storer ones from Décor as well as smaller lunchbox size containers. I also like large sealable bags for the freezer – the IKEA ones are very good.

• Make the mini quiche, place in zip lock bags, then freeze.
• Make the little star cookie dough. Wrap in plastic wrap then place in a zip lock bag. Label ‘cookie dough’. Place in the freezer.
• Make the pastry for lemon tartlets. Wrap in plastic wrap then place in a zip lock bag. Label ‘tart dough’. Place in the freezer.
• Make the raisin scones (soak the raisins in rum the night before). Store in zip lock bags and freeze.
• Make the Christmas pudding truffles to the rolled stage (don’t dip in chocolate). Freeze.

Up to 2 weeks ahead

• Defrost the pudding balls then dip in chocolate and decorate etc. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Make the little star cookies for the jelly cups. Store un-iced in an airtight container in the pantry (make sure no one eats them!)

Up to 1 week ahead

• Make the rum butter then store covered in the fridge.
• Ice the little star cookies then store in an airtight container and return to the pantry.

Three days before your Afternoon Tea

• Make the pistachio meringues for the lemon tartlets. Store in a ziplock bag inside an airtight container. Place it on your bench or in the pantry.

Two days before your Afternoon Tea

• Make the Little Strawberry Jelly Cups and whip the Chantilly Cream. Store both in the fridge. Once the jelly cups have set, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap.
• Make the cocktail sauce for the prawn cocktail finger sandwiches. Store covered in the fridge until the day of your Afternoon tea.
• Whip the cream cheese icing for the madeleines. Store in the fridge.
• Buy macarons and store in the fridge.
• Defrost the tartlet pastry in the fridge overnight.

One day before your Afternoon Tea

• Make the lemon tartlets then store in the fridge in an airtight container. Don’t add the meringue until the day of serving.
• Make the turkey, cranberry and brie sandwiches. Cover with damp paper towel then store in an airtight container in the fridge.  
• Defrost the scones in the fridge overnight.
• Defrost the mini quiche in the fridge overnight.
• Prepare the mini ham and mustard croissants. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap then store in the fridge until you are ready to bake.

On the morning of your Afternoon Tea

• Make the madeleine batter then let it rest for 2 hours in the fridge.
• Add cream and strawberry garnish to the jelly cups then return them to the fridge (place them in an airtight container to maximise space).
• Fit a medium piping bag with an open or closed star tip and set aside (this is for the cream cheese icing). You can use the same tip as the one you use for the Chantilly cream – just wash it first in warm water then dry with paper towel.

Two hours before your guests arrive

• Bake the madeleines then roll them in cinnamon sugar. Once cooled completely, place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap.

One hour before your guests arrive

• Make the prawn sandwiches then store covered with damp paper towel in the fridge until required.
• Remove the rum butter from the fridge.
• Place the scones in a foil parcel and leave on your bench.
• Add the pistachio meringues to the lemon tarts then place them on a decorative plate and/or the top tier of a three tier stand.
• Add the macarons and Christmas pudding truffles to the top of the stand or plate(s).
• Stir the cream cheese icing, fill the piping bag you prepared earlier, then pipe a shell on the madeleines (as per the recipe). Garnish with an edible flower then place on the tiered stand / decorative plate.

Once guests arrive

• Preheat the oven to 160 C fan / 320 F fan.
• Place the mini quiche and mini croissants on two trays.
• Add the jelly cups to the stand / plate together with small spoons. Finish each with a mini star cookie.
• Add the turkey sandwiches and the prawn sandwiches to the bottom layer of the tiered stand and / or sandwich plate.
• Place the scone parcel, mini quiche, and croissants in the oven and warm for 10-12 minutes. Remove.
• Add to the stand, plates and platters.
• Serve and enjoy your Christmas Afternoon Tea.